An international team of engineers deployed an orion solar array wing at nasa glenn s plum brook station in sandusky ohio on feb.
Orion spacecraft solar panels.
The european built service module is comprised of 20 000 parts and components that must fit together perfectly and perform reliably.
The test array consisted of a yoke and three panels and three dummy wings integrated with the test model of the orion esm.
Originally designed with a service module featuring a new orion main engine and a pair of circular solar panels the spacecraft was to be launched atop the ares i rocket.
Later named moon to mars.
When delivered in 2017 the solar array will consist of three panels.
Following the cancellation of the constellation program in 2010 orion was heavily redesigned for use in nasa s journey to mars initiative.
The array is a component of orion s service module which is provided by the european space.
Four solar arrays and four lithium ion battery assemblies will power the orion spacecraft life support propulsion guidance and other systems.
This structure is the frame and base for the european service module part of nasa s orion spacecraft that will return humans to the moon.
The orion spacecraft is made of three primary elements the launch abort system the crew module and the service module.
The orion 606 sm design retained the 5 meter 16 ft width for the attachments of the orion m with the orion cm but utilized a soyuz like service module design to allow lockheed martin to make the vehicle lighter in weight and permitting the attachment of the circular solar panels at the module s midpoints instead of at the base near the spacecraft rocket adapter which might have.
Built in turin italy at thales alenia space this is.
The solar array is one of four panels that will generate 11 kilowatts of power and span about 63 feet.